A Tale of Two Souls
by Talye Kendrin
Summary: When Castiel is destroyed by the archangel, he is cast into limbo to await his fate. His caretaker, Ellie, takes it upon herself to teach him about the thing he admires most; humanity. But when Castiel is brought back to life and forgets his time in limbo, he can feel that he's forgotten something-and Ellie is determined to help him remember. Eventual Cas/OC
1. you are a tourist

**A Tale of Two Souls**

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**chapter one:** _you are a tourist_

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Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.

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"Castiel."

It was odd for the angel to be woken for the first time. Being an angel, he had never slept-never needed to sleep. So needless to say, the feeling of being woken was so foreign to him that when he opened his eyes, he felt no small amount of confusion and panic. His eyes darted around as he assessed his situation, seeing a white tiled ceiling and a concerned-looking, unfamiliar female face hovering at the edge of his vision. He turned his head slightly to take in her appearance, noting her fair complexion, dark brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, and rectangular-framed glasses perched on her nose. Her face was free of makeup, a smattering of light freckles on her nose, and the edge of a scar at the top of her forehead, disappearing into her hairline. He narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to decipher what she was. Her presence did not feel human to him, nor did it feel like anything he had ever encountered before. He became confused when the concern on her face eased into a small smile.

"Try all you want, Castiel, I'm not one to be deduced so easily," she said with a wink as she straightened from her position bent over her 'patient', holding out an ice pack wrapped in a towel. "Here, for your headache."

Castiel frowned, moving to sit up from his place lying down on the sofa. "I don't have a-" He cut himself off when lights seemed to burst behind his eyes, a sudden throbbing erupting in his skull. He almost fell over, but a long-fingered hand caught his shoulder and steadied him as the cold pack was pressed against his forehead and eyes, bringing some relief from the unexpected pain. He didn't remember ever having such pain, not even when the archangel smote him—

"Wait." He grabbed the hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly, almost desperately. "Where am I? I'm dead, am I not?"

The woman grasped his hand and guided it to the cold pack, and he took that as his cue to hold it in place in her stead. He felt the couch sag a bit to his left as she sat down beside him, even though he couldn't see her with the cold pack over his eyes, which he wasn't about to remove as it was providing him a fair bit of relief from the pain.

"You are...and you aren't."

"That is not very specific."

"I'm not a very specific person," she retorted. "But what I mean by that is, your soul is in limbo. While your fate is being decided, this is where you'll stay. And when it is decided, you will either return to life or you will die. While you're here, it means that nothing is concrete, and everything is possible." She placed her hand on his shoulder again. He was beginning to perceive her as the kind of person that took comfort from the touch of others. Her voice was soft as she continued, "I don't want you to get your hopes up, though. The majority of people that come here do end up dying."

Castiel understood the implications of the situation. It meant that there was hope for life yet, but that hope was slim. And while he knew it was unwise to get his hopes up, he couldn't help it. He felt as though he had not yet fulfilled his purpose-hadn't achieved everything that he could. And he couldn't help but feel as though he wanted to fight alongside Dean and Sam once again.

"Alright. If your headache's starting to fade, I can whip you up some tea that will finish it off," the woman said, giving his shoulder a pat and rising from the couch. Castiel assessed the faded throbbing before voicing his findings.

"Yes, I believe that it is receding. I would be much obliged," he said, finally feeling well and brave enough to remove the cold pack from over his eyes and place it on the couch beside him, once again taking in the appearance of the strange, unfamiliar woman with slightly narrowed eyes. She had a definitively feminine figure; slim, but with curves in the right places. He supposed to a human she would appear attractive, but what concerned him was her soul. It was...irregular; like nothing he had ever encountered before. Rather than being situated in her chest cavity, like most every being's (human or not) was, hers rather seemed to radiate through every inch of her. As though she, herself, was nothing more than a soul. But souls without a body did not have a human appearance. He was utterly baffled by her being.

She smiled, sparing him a glance as she placed a kettle of water on the stove and switched the element on. "And what does your Angel Vision tell you about me, Castiel?" she asked lightly.

His brow furrowed. "Admittedly...very little."

She grinned cheekily and turned to fully face him, hopping up to take a seat on the counter behind her.

"Well, then. Let me introduce myself," she said with a wave of her hand. "The name's Ellie. Ellie Harken. I was a nurse in life and am a caretaker in pseudo-death. On bad days, I equate myself as an eternal babysitter." She chuckled at her own joke. "I guess you could call this my version of heaven on a good day, though. Being able to help people, even in death...it can be fairly rewarding."

Castiel searched her face for any signs that she was lying, but came up empty. So she was telling the truth, then. But how...?

"Why have I never heard of limbo, then?" He demanded, voice as calm as ever despite the turmoil he felt within at all the new information he was being bombarded with. "As an angel of the Lord, I should be informed of all events and places that affect the life and death of souls."

Ellie grew somber at his words. "That's because God never intended people to know of limbo. The only souls that know of it are the ones that are currently experiencing it." She gave a wan smile. "As soon as a soul is out of limbo, it forgets its existence completely. Whether it lives or dies after it gets out...it forgets either way."

Castiel's blue eyes pierced into her grey ones.

"So, your job is to eternally care for souls while their fate is being decided...and to never be remembered as doing so." It was a statement of fact, not a question. He watched as she swallowed, her gaze falling away from his.

"...Yes."

He frowned. "How is this your heaven? Does it not fill you with more sadness than anything?" He was genuinely confused. "Your heaven should make you happy, should it not?"

She still did not look at him, staring instead at the kettle that was beginning to produce steam.

"It does make me happy...for a time," she admitted softly. "It only makes me sad when the souls I care for leave." The kettle began to whistle, and she quickly removed it from the stove to pour the boiling water into a teacup with various herbs in it. "I guess you would call it more...bittersweet, than anything." She smiled slightly, pouring water into a second cup with plain tea leaves in it, setting the kettle back down and bringing the teacups over to the couch, handing one to Castiel and keeping the other for herself. She carefully sat, making sure not to slosh the tea out of her cup as she perched herself beside Castiel on the couch. She glanced at him, only to find he was studying her again. "You know, no matter how much you stare at me, I'm not going to do any tricks." She smirked. "Those require incentive."

Castiel looked puzzled at her words. "Incentive...?"

Ellie's shoulders shook with mirth, though she stifled her laughter, hiding her grin by taking a sip of her tea. After sipping enough to recover her calm expression, she merely smiled at him innocently.

"Maybe if you stay long enough I'll explain what that means."

Castiel gave her an odd look before sipping his own tea, finding that it took the edge off what remained of his headache quite nicely. He found that even though the water had been boiling hot, the heat did not feel as though it would burn his vessel. Perhaps, he figured, because he was no longer in a vessel, being-well, not dead, but in limbo, rather. Either way, he had retained his human vessel's form, possibly because it was the form which he had come to prefer due to the connection he felt to humanity while in such a form. It was...preferable, he thought, to the unbridled soul he had been before. While he had been capable of everything he was capable of in a human vessel, he had felt no true connection to anything other than heaven before that, and even heaven he had only felt a true connection to because he had known nothing else. And now, he thought, he felt even more human than he had while occupying a human vessel. Perhaps it was because he had been shown his own mortality, and was being taken care of by another soul, rather than being the one caring for others. While fighting alongside Dean and Sam, he had been the one who had protected them, but now...now he was being protected. He wondered if this was what it felt like, to have a loving parent in one's life. He wondered if this was what God would have been like to him if He were still in heaven. He looked at Ellie with new eyes at such a thought. He had never known a mother. Heaven had never needed a mother, for angels were warriors, and such sentiment as motherly affection was viewed as weakness and straying from the cause. Not that he felt there was any point to the cause, now that he was basically as good as dead.

Ellie caught his gaze and lowered the teacup from her lips, setting it on the coffee table in front of them and angling herself towards him.

"Castiel...?" she asked, expression showing concern for him, for the second time since he had awoken. "Is something wrong?"

Having all but drained his teacup, he set his down as well, mirroring her position. "Ellie, were you ever a mother, by any chance?"

Watching her expression change, he knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing, though he was unsure why it had been such a wrong thing to ask. It was a simple enough question, nothing terribly person, he didn't think. Her next statement, however, proved him wrong.

"No. I almost..." She took a deep breath, to calm herself, it seemed. "But no. I never was."

Castiel's brow furrowed. It was his turn to grow concerned for his caretaker's suddenly fragile-seeming mental state.

"I apologize. I seem to have upset you."

She closed her eyes, turning her face away from him again. "No," she said. "It's okay. I'm just not used to people asking questions about me. That's...not exactly the point of limbo."

Castiel blinked, surprised. "There is a point to limbo?"

Ellie looked back at him again, biting the inside of her cheek as she seemed to choose her words carefully. "The point of limbo is usually to focus on the soul in question and...what it lacks." She seemed to grow more confident in her speech, turning to fully face him, folding one leg beneath her on the couch. "It's a chance for the soul to examine itself in its entirety, and better itself in ways it never had the chance to in life."

Castiel's thoughts turned inwards, and he drew into himself at the terrifying amount of possibility that came with the situation he found himself in. "I can do...anything I desire?" he asked quietly, almost afraid to hear her answer. He had to force himself not to shy away from her touch as her hand came to rest on his shoulder once again.

"Yes, Castiel," she replied. "This is an opportunity to do what you want, for once...rather than what you feel is expected of you."

Castiel was silent for a moment, contemplating what he wished to do with this opportunity. Anything he desired? The possibilities were endless. However, he knew from the moment he realized the great opportunity he had been given what he desired to do with it.

"I would like to learn more about humanity."

Ellie smiled.

"Then learn you shall."

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**A/N:** Like it? Hate it? Drop me a line, lemme know what you think. I'm thinking this will be a two- or three-shot, but it has the potential to be a lot more if there's enough interest.


	2. come out of the woods

**A Tale of Two Souls**

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**chapter two:** _come out of the woods_

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Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.

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"You know, Castiel, I think this is some of the most fun I've had with a ward of mine in quite some time."

"I am...glad you are having fun," Castiel said, sounding unamused at best, "however I would be more pleased if it were not at my expense."

"Oh, but that's the whole point. I think our experience of embarrassment is a roaring success." Despite that she was behind him, he could practically hear the cheeky grin on her face as she pulled his usually unkempt hair into a number of tidy little pigtails. He didn't need to look in a mirror to know that he looked absolutely ridiculous. "Hmm...and I think we're touching on annoyance, too..." She sounded amused.

"I believe we have established the purpose of this 'social experiment' as you call them. Could you please remove these elastics from my hair now? They are pulling rather uncomfortably at my scalp."

"Fine, you pansy. First things first, though," she said.

Castiel scowled when she handed him a handheld mirror. What he saw, however, made his face heat up in...yes...embarrassment. He supposed he should have felt happy that she had been able to come through in helping him experience another human emotion, but his current emotion of embarrassment outweighed anything else he might have otherwise felt in that moment. He placed a hand over his face as he realized his reflection's cheeks were turning red from the heat he felt rushing to his face. Caused by increased blood flow, he realized absently, though he found it curious that such a simple emotion as embarrassment could cause such an obvious physical reaction. Thankfully, his fascination with this observation caused his embarrassment to decrease, and he latched onto it, pulling his hand away from his face to find that his cheeks were returning to their usual coloration.

Ellie leaned her arm on his shoulder and made a face at him in the mirror, causing him to chuckle. He felt as though he had come quite a way in learning the nuances of human behavior in the past few days. Had it only been a few days? It was difficult to track the passage of time in limbo, because on top of the fact that the time of day seemed to fluctuate only when they willed it to, as souls, neither he nor Ellie particularly needed sleep, though she had talked him into sleeping once, and he had done so a couple times after that, after finding that he rather enjoyed the experience. He hadn't experienced any dreams, as humans do, but he still found it peaceful and relaxing nonetheless. The closest he had come to sleep as an angel was when he had meditated on God's word, but sleep was an entirely different experience; and, dare he say it, more enjoyable. Castiel gave Ellie a comically wide grin in response to her silly face, causing her to snort with laughter and cover her mouth, now embarrassed herself. She grinned sheepishly, still chuckling as she turned to pull the pigtails out of Castiel's hair as gently as possible.

"Just pull them out. It doesn't matter," Castiel instructed her.

She scoffed. "Look, just because as souls in limbo we can't feel physical pain, doesn't mean I want to start acting _violent_," she said, fixing him with a stern look in the mirror before turning back to her work with a slight smile. "Besides, you have soft hair. It's nice."

"Um...thank you," he said, not really understanding what the benefit of having soft hair was, but realizing that it was meant to be a compliment.

Ellie laughed, pulling the last ponytail holder out and mussing Castiel's hair back into its normal unkempt state. He saw her open her mouth to say something in the mirror when suddenly she closed her mouth again, a serious look overtaking her face. She seemed to be listening to something, snapping out of it after a moment and glancing at him in the mirror, forcing a small smile, he realized, to reassure him. He saw straight through it, however. Her smile was vastly different from when she truly smiled. His brow furrowed in concern.

"Is something the matter, Ellie?" he asked. He had never seen her so serious since their initial conversation when he had woken in limbo.

She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, considering how to answer him, he realized. She tended to choose her words carefully, but she had not lied to him yet in the time he had known her. Not outright, at least.

"Not yet...I'm not sure. I have to check something out in order to make sure, though," she replied at last. She attempted to smile at him again, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "Why don't you make us some tea while I make sure?"

Castiel was still concerned, but realizing she wasn't about to let him help her with whatever was going on, he reluctantly nodded and stood up, heading to the kitchen to do as he was asked. He turned his head slightly to see her walk back down the hallway that headed to the only room in the large house that she expressly forbade him from entering. He paused in his step when she was out of sight, frowning and clenching and unclenching his fists. Should he? But, that would be like disobeying direct orders... But, no. He was not a soldier anymore. He was merely Castiel. He was a soul awaiting his final journey. And as Ellie had said, he was free to do what he wanted here. After all, he was concerned for his new...friend. Yes, he supposed that Ellie and he were friends, at this point.

He crept, silent as a whisper, towards the forbidden door, beginning to hear Ellie's side of a conversation.

"...can't be serious. It hasn't been nearly as long as a soul usually stays here."

There was a faint whispering, but try as Castiel might, he could not make out what it was saying.

"Yes, I understand that it's a special case. Obviously angels don't come here every day-"

The whispering interrupted her, and Castiel felt himself feeling somewhat frustrated at the lack of satisfaction to his curiosity, despite that he was already hearing half of the conversation more than he should have been to begin with.

"-Yes, well, fine."

More infuriating whispering.

"Yes...I understand, sir. I'll be awaiting your signal," Ellie said, sounding humbled.

Castiel heard Ellie's footsteps approaching the door and panicked, quickly racing back to the kitchen as quickly as possible, filling the kettle and placing it on the stovetop element. He went to put his hands down on the counter while he waited, but paused, realizing that they were shaking slightly. He held his shaking hands in front of his face, staring at them in slight surprise and awe. Seeing such a sign of raw emotion manifested in his own form, it made him feel...human. It was..._intriguing_.

"_Ahem_."

Castiel jumped a bit, whirling to see Ellie standing there staring at him, hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised. He knew immediately: He'd been caught. He felt sheepish, and found himself unable to hold her gaze.

"I take it you noticed, then."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Castiel, you may be very light on your feet, but if there's one thing you're definitely not, it's subtle," she informed him. "I saw you disappear around the corner when I came out of my office." Castiel at least had the decency to apologize for his actions, but Ellie simply waved them away. "Well, at least it means I only have to explain half of the conversation to you now, right?"

Castiel frowned, realizing he was unconsciously wringing his hands and clasping his hands behind his back in order to stop himself from doing so. He nodded sharply, still only glancing quickly up at Ellie, not locking eyes with hers, rather ashamed that he had let his own curiosity get the better of him. He heard Ellie sigh, and she walked up to him, causing him to tense, thinking she was going to reprimand him for his selfish actions. Rather, he felt her increasingly familiar hand on his shoulder, and he chanced a look up to see that she was, surprisingly, smiling. It was a tired smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. She moved her hand up to his stubbly cheek and patted it affectionately.

"Hey, now," she said, "it's okay. I'm not mad. It's a natural thing to be curious about stuff." She turned serious then, gripping both his shoulders and locking her eyes with his. "Castiel...your fate has been decided. You're going to be leaving here soon...sooner than I thought you would be. I've hardly prepared you at all for such a sudden change, and I'm sorry, but I don't have any time to prepare you even now." She exhaled through her nose, seeming to deflate a little. "I've enjoyed having you here. I would've liked you to stay a little longer, but that would be selfish of me."

Castiel felt, for what seemed the first time in a millennia, genuine fear. He reached up and gripped one of her hands, squeezing it tight. If they had been more than just souls, he was sure that he would have broken her hand, even if she were more than human.

"Ellie...I'm...frightened," he admitted, searching her eyes for some sign that she understood what he was going through. He found the empathy that he was looking for, and clung to it desperately. "I don't want to...die." He felt the blood drain from his face. "I'm not ready to die."

Ellie laughed, but it sounded off, as though it were both happy and sad at the same time. It confused him. She squeezed his hand, mussing his hair with her other hand.

"Silly angel. You're not doomed to death just yet," she said, smiling at him. The smile, at least, was genuine. "You're being given another chance to live." She winked. "So I'll see you again at least once, when it's really your time to go."

Her hand paused in mid-ruffle, and she seemed to be listening again. She sobered immediately, the smile wiped from her face. She nodded at him, seeing the questioning look on his face.

"Yes, that's our cue...it's your time to go, Castiel." She dragged him by the hand down the hall, and he realized they were heading for the very room he had been forbidden to enter during his stay. She paused, hand hovering over the doorknob, and muttered a few incomprehensible words, and he heard the distinct clicking of the lock disengaging before she pushed open the door.

The room was pure white, the only color the deep yellow curtains on the large bay window overlooking the grassy meadow that surrounded the home in the middle of an otherwise empty dimensional pocket. Immediately when he crossed over the threshold into the room, he felt the pull of what felt like a deep, ancient magic grating against his being. His eyes immediately searched for any corporeal signs of it, but he realized with a jolt that it was coming from Ellie herself. She seemed to glow as the approached the center of the room, and she took a piece of yellow chalk from her pocket and drew a perfect circle, drawing symbols that he, a time-old angel, was unfamiliar with. He supposed it made sense, though, given that he had never heard of limbo before finding himself smack in the middle of it, that limbo would have a strong magic all of its own, and that its caretakers would as well. It didn't make him anymore comfortable with the fact that he'd never known of it, either. And, he realized, he was even more uncomfortable with the idea of returning to a place where he would not remember any of his time spent in this place. He waited until Ellie finished drawing symbols and straightened before catching her arm, staring at her with concern.

"I will not remember any of this when I leave, will I?"

Ellie gave a wan smile, patting his cheek and stepping carefully out of the circle so as not to smudge any of the chalk, gently guiding Castiel so that he stood exactly where she had been.

"If you have to ask, Castiel...I think you already know the answer."

Her grip tightened on his arms as she tilted her head. Listening again, then. She broke from her trance, nodding her head and giving Castiel a grin and thumbs-up.

"Good luck, Castiel. I'm sure we'll meet again sooner or later." She chuckled. "Let's try to go with later though, shall we?"

Castiel nodded somberly. "I will try." He searched for the words, feeling that at such a farewell he should probably say something more than just that. "Um... Stay safe, Ellie," he finally settled with, giving his friend a half-smile.

The smile that lit up her face was well worth it. She snapped him a salute. "Aye-aye, cap'n." She drew a strange-looking leaf from her pocket and proceeded, strangely enough, to shove it in her mouth and chew. She swallowed roughly, making a face, causing him to think the leaf must have tasted rather disgusting. He wondered for a moment why she had eaten it in the first place, but then felt a notable surge in the power radiating from her and realized it had a powerful effect on her magic. There was that question answered, at least. Ellie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, seeming to pale as her skin appeared to grow clammy.

"Well, Castiel...good luck. Stay alive for a while longer, then." As soon as she said this, she began to chant in a language not entirely unlike enochian, but with distinct differences. It was almost as though they were derived from the same roots, but had developed completely separate from each other. He stood rooted to the spot as Ellie's tongue began to glow with a bright golden light, the light spilling forth to pool at his feet, slowly building up to encompass him completely until all he could see was gold. He could still hear Ellie chanting, until she yelled one final word.

Suddenly, Castiel felt a hand grip him tight and pull him forcefully through the gold into a new place that seemed dark and depressing with its lack of golden light. And in the middle of wondering what was going to happen to Ellie, Castiel's thought was cut off mid-sentence, and he found himself confused, wondering what exactly he had just been thinking of. As an angel, Castiel had never been at all forgetful. He felt himself grow slightly concerned at his lack of memory. He felt as though he had just forgotten a vast number of things all at once, as though they had been erased from him without his permission. It was as though a portion of his being was now...adrift. That was the only way he could describe it. It was...disconcerting, to say the least.

There was another part of him, however, that hadn't been there before. A part of his memory that he swore was not there before he died, that he figured must have been given to him by whoever had raised him from the dead, for he remembered distinctly that he had died. It was as though it were written into his very being... _protect the Winchesters_. He searched his being, and realized he instinctively knew where he had to go next.

He would have to ponder his nonexistent memory of death some other time. Dean and Sam needed his help.

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**A/N:** To those reading, I hope you are enjoying it so far! Thank you to **MeemeBear** for the kind review. Is this soon enough of an update for you? xD Haha

I was actually intending to make this story just a two- or three-shot when I started it, but I'm so into it, I'm going to make it a multi-chapter story. I feel like there is a lot of potential here and I want to explore it all.

Let me know what you thought by reviewing! :)


	3. i followed fires

**A Tale of Two Souls**

**chapter three:** _i followed fires_

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.

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Castiel was growing more and more desperate. It had been a number of weeks since he had begun his search for God, and he felt as though-to use one of the metaphors Dean was so fond of using-he were grasping at straws. And not to mention, when interacting with Dean and Sam, he had occasionally been getting this strange feeling. When he had described it to the brothers, Dean had labeled it as 'deja vu', if he recalled correctly. An odd thing, it seemed to him. He could not for the life of him figure out why it kept happening, though. From what he had found so far, it seemed to happen when one of the brothers would express their emotions. The time when the 'deja vu' sensation had felt the strongest, though, had been when Dean had snorted in laughter. Castiel was agitated with the fact that he kept having this 'deja vu' feeling, and wished that it would just go away or that he would remember _why_ in the world he was feeling it in the first place.

Exhaling heavily, Castiel observed his surroundings. He had flown to Jamestown, North Dakota on the smallest of leads-the only kind he had had so far. Just whimsical rumors, hardly anything more than that. After the umpteenth fruitless search, he was taking a small break, sitting on a park bench and observing a candid moment of humanity. He had seen so much of it lately, and not always the positive sides, but he still found himself somewhat...warmed by his observations of humans. He could feel himself relaxing as he watched the humans go about their business, walking dogs and biking along the paths. One family seemed to be having a picnic on the grass. And over there-Castiel tilted his head, eyes narrowing and lips pursed as confusion overtook him. Yes, he realized, it was exactly what he'd thought it was.

There was a woman across the field staring at him, and she smiled at him, seeming amused, though at what he was uncertain. She winked at him and waved, and Castiel belatedly recalled that waving was a human gesture of greeting. Hesitantly, he raised his own hand and mimicked the little flick of the wrist she had given him, and he saw her grin widen, her nose scrunching a bit, as evidenced by the way her glasses lifted slightly. He let his hand fall back to his side as she had, and his brow furrowed as he studied her. She seemed...familiar, somehow, though he could swear he had never met her. She had brown hair tied back in a messy bun, rectangular framed glasses, freckles on her nose, and gray eyes. He supposed she were 'pretty' by human standards. But that was not what concerned him. What concerned him was the fact that she seemed to glow, like a soul, except she had a human form, which souls on their own did not have on earth. And on top of that, from how the humans in the area around her acted, it seemed as though he were the only one that could see her.

This was all very confusing for Castiel. He had just decided to fly over to her and question her about her being and her familiarity to him, when something very odd happened.

A pillar of light erupted at the woman's feet, encompassing her and shooting into the sky to about three times her height. It was gone within the blink of an eye, but unfortunately for the still-confused angel... she was gone, as well.

Castiel felt the odd urge to swear, like Dean often did. He realized detachedly that it was because he was feeling... _anger_ and _frustration_. Two very human emotions. He was acting more and more human every day, he thought. Castiel was unsure whether this was a positive or negative thing, but as he thought on how a number of his angelic brethren acted, he thought that if he were to become more like his friends, the Winchesters... well, that wouldn't be such a bad thing in his book.

Castiel exhaled heavily, folding his hands in his lap. He was now faced with another mystery. Who was that girl? She seemed to act as though she knew him. And she was an oddity, indeed; something he was unsure how to approach, or whether it was even wise to. Despite that he was an angel, and thus a fairly powerful being, he couldn't help but feel...unnerved by her. It was almost as though he knew she held great power, though just like why he felt he knew her from someplace, he had no idea as to why he thought that.

Castiel frowned. His thoughts were going in circles. He was getting nowhere with either his original quest or this new one that had found him. With a flap of his wings, he returned to heaven. This new mystery would have to remain on the backburner for now. He was busy.

He needed to find God-as soon as possible.

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Ellie exhaled noisily, flopping down on the couch of her home in limbo and throwing a hand over her eyes. The thought of seeing Castiel again while running errands on earth had been too tempting, and she had given in to her desire to see the angel she had become, so she would like to believe, _friends_ with over the short weeks he had spent with her. Well, weeks was a loose term. In 'limbo time' it was about the equivalent of what two weeks would feel like on earth, though on earth she would say that only about a day had passed, maybe two depending on what part of the orbital cycle the planet was in. It seemed to speed up a bit in relation to limbo time when the earth was closer to the tiny dimensional seam that led to the pocket limbo was tucked away in.

Ellie massaged her forehead with her thumb and forefinger, trying to ease the tension that she could feel building up to a headache. While there weren't technically any 'rules' persay on a caretaker's-such as herself-conduct towards souls that were not currently in limbo, mainly due to the fact that all caretakers were hand-picked helpful souls that devoted themselves whole-heartedly to the care of others, she couldn't help but feel as though she had broken some unspoken agreement not to engage in the lives of the living. After all, she couldn't remember a time when _any_ of her fellow caretakers had willingly gone into the living realm and just..._interacted_. It was just...not done. But when she thought back to the face Castiel had made, pinched in confusion as he tried to puzzle out who she was and why she was waving to him, of all things, she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled forth from her lips. She quickly groaned, however, when she realized that it was contributing to her building headache, and got up off the couch to make some herbal tea to take the edge off.

When she was finally settled in her favorite armchair, legs tucked beneath her and both hands wrapped around the deliciously warm mug of tea, she felt herself relax after what seemed an age of pent-up stress and emotional overload. She was usually pretty bad the first little while after a soul departed from her care, but seeing as she had gone out of her way-figuring from her initial experiences as a human before becoming a caretaker that friendship was an integral part of the genuine human experience-to befriend Castiel, his leaving had made a bigger impact on her than usual. Now that her friend was gone, it was like a yawning hole had opened up inside her, and the name of that hole was Loneliness.

Ellie took a hearty swig of her half-cooled tea, frowning at the realization that it was no longer hot. She blamed her cold hands for sucking so much heat out of the mug, grumbling as she focused on the mug, dipping a forefinger into the tepid liquid and stirring it until it heated to the perfect temperature. She stuck her finger in her mouth to keep the liquid from dripping down her hand, then wrapped her hand back around the reheated mug with a lazy grin. She took another sip and sighed contentedly as her thoughts turned back to Castiel again. She would just have to visit the scruffy-looking angel whenever she could find the time, even if he didn't remember their time together. It would at least stem the Loneliness that this place brought her in his absence...

* * *

Ellie felt the familiar sickening lurch that came with interdimensional travel as she opened a rift to her destination on earth. It didn't affect nearly as much as it had when she was first recruited as a caretaker, thankfully. She remembered the first time she had traveled via interdimensional rift she had ended up with a feeling of intense nausea and vertigo so bad she had tumbled to the floor. It had taken her a whole minute just to realize what had even happened. Ellie rubbed her stomach absent-mindedly at the memory of her nausea. Despite her inability to actually vomit due to being a soul and all, she still experienced the emotions and physical sensations that she remembered having in life.

"Oh, Ellie. Good. You got my message."

Ellie grinned and tugged off her newsboy cap, letting her hair fall around her shoulders as she swept her arm across her chest and folded into a low bow to the man who was barely taller than own five-foot-seven. "Greetings, Your Highness."

The man rolled his eyes. "That's enough of that, Ellie. We've got important business to discuss."

Ellie straightened only to snap him a salute. "Aye-aye, captain!" She grinned when she caused the man to chuckle a bit. She followed his lead and took a seat in one of the two armchairs in the small, somewhat cluttered living room, separated by a small coffee table, upon which two steaming mugs of coffee appeared as they sat.

"Still three sugars and milk, right?" he asked.

Ellie hummed in approval, taking a tentative sip to make sure everything was indeed correct, then took a larger gulp of the sweet coffee.

"So am I mistaken, or did you meet up with your charge here on earth?"

In all honesty, he didn't have to ask. It was more of a courtesy than anything. Both he and Ellie knew that he was never mistaken. He was, after all, an omniscient being. Ellie swallowed her mouthful of coffee, nodding before speaking. She didn't think she was about to be punished, so she decided to be completely candid with the man.

"It's not against the rules. There are no rules. The only ones that are 'there' are unspoken ones, so just ones that the caretakers have made up themselves out of a want for order." She met the man's eyes, full of bravado. In all honesty she was a touch nervous. Despite that the two of them had a good rapport, and she was relatively sure that even if he didn't approve he wouldn't really punish her, there was still a small part of her that feared his wrath.

He was, after all, God.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. Not many would know it, but God was a surprisingly sarcastic person.

"I know that, Ellie. I'm the one who made the rules-or rather, lack thereof." He smiled and shifted in his seat so he was angled towards her. "I just want to know why you've taken care of so many souls and just now have found one you take more than a professional interest in." He looked amused. "What is it you find about Castiel's soul so interesting?"

Ellie was silent for a moment, staring into the depths of her half-empty coffee cup. Finally, she licked her lips, brow furrowed, and spoke.

"I've never known an angel's soul to take on human form in limbo before."

God's eyebrows raised. "Is that so?" He wasn't really surprised. He was God; he knew the details of every soul ever to be created. He just chose to ignore his knowledge a lot of the time in order not to be overwhelmed. He didn't like having all that knowledge. He wanted to at least pretend to be normal, thus why he was hiding out as though he were human. It was nice to pretend. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Ellie smirked a little at his feigned surprise and put her coffee cup down, shifting so that she was sitting sideways in her chair, facing God.

"Don't act so surprised," she said. "Seriously though-it's interesting. Whereas most angels would just resume their celestial form when they become a soul in limbo, Castiel just...kept his vessel's form." She grinned. "It goes along with his attitude towards humanity-he appreciates it, unlike most angels. I'd even go so far as to say he envies it."

God smiled gently, reaching across and taking Ellie's hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

"He's a smart cookie. I created him differently because he's got big things ahead of him." He locked gazes with Ellie, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "You know, he could use all the support he could get in the times to come."

Ellie gave him the stink-eye. "Now don't you go getting any plans in that big head of yours, okay? Remember, _free will?_"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just saying."

Ellie chuckled, standing up and holding her hand out to God to help him stand as well, pulling him up when he grasped her hand. "Well, I'm_ just saying_, old man-" he glared at her at that, "-I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point. From what I've seen, everything is as it's meant to be. Which means, Castiel has no memory of me or our time in limbo."

God gave her a sympathetic look, making her realize she must have a pretty pathetic look on her face. He held his arms out to her, and she allowed herself to be drawn into a hug. His hugs never failed to make her feel better. Then again, hugging God was vastly different from hugging any human was, as she recalled. Well, there was also the fact that his were the only ones she'd had in over eighty years, since she died.

"You gonna be okay, kid?"

"Yeah. I'll be okay." Ellie was still for a moment before she reluctantly drew back from the hug, giving him a smile. "I should get back to work. Thanks for the coffee, Chuck. I'll see you some other time."

Chuck smiled and gave a small wave as Ellie opened the rift between dimensions once more, letting his hand and his smile drop once she was no longer in sight. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his nose, pressing his fingers into his temples. His visits with Ellie were the only time he really let his full knowledge into his head. It was too much of a burden to do so all the time. That was why he had stopped playing his role so long ago to begin with. Ellie was understanding enough that he just wanted to be a part of his beloved creations. Her sympathy came hand-in-hand with her role as caretaker, though. That was why he had hand-picked her. She was a soul who felt very deeply for others.

A warm smile touched his lips. She was finally feeling for herself, though. And who better for her to feel for than another soul who was just starting to discover what he wanted out of life?

He briefly contemplated meddling, but quickly shot the idea down. Ellie and Castiel had to find each other on their own. It wasn't something that should be initiated by a cupid.

It would be all the more beautiful if they had to search for each other first.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you to koryandrs and MarleeJames for the kind reviews, and to everyone who has added it to their follow list. :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think.


	4. veins of your history

**A Tale of Two Souls**

**chapter four:** _veins of your history _

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.

* * *

Castiel fully expected tonight to be his last night on earth-for good, this time.

He was unprepared to deal with what Dean claimed to be 'essential' in order to make the most of his last night, however.

Castiel felt alarmed and uncomfortable as Dean pulled him into the back-alley whorehouse. He immediately voiced his concerns.

"This is a den of iniquity. I should not be here."

Dean gave him an 'are-you-serious' look.

"Dude, you full-on rebelled against heaven. Iniquity is one of the perks." He glanced at something over Castiel's shoulder, and Castiel tensed, figuring from the smug smirk that graced Dean's face that it was not going to be something he would be comfortable with. He glanced back at Castiel as the angel became aware of a heavily-perfumed woman approaching them. "Showtime."

The scantily-dressed woman smiled in what he realized must be a flirtatious manner, and he tried to avoid all eye contact with her, clearly out of his comfort zone, wishing he could fly away but not wanting to disappoint his friend. Dean said he should experience what it was like to lie with a woman before he faced certain death, and he felt obligated to see Dean's wish through. After all, being friends meant looking out for each other, did it not? Surely Dean would not lead him astray. They were friends.

"Hi," the woman said, and he could see her curling a strand of blond hair around one of her fingers out of the corner of his eye. "What's your name?"

Dean, seeing that Castiel remained tight-lipped, answered for him.

"Cas." Castiel twitched, inhaling sharply. He sincerely wanted not to go through with this. "His name is Cas. What's your name?"

The woman smiled coyly. "Chastity."

Castiel immediately gulped down his entire beer, hoping it might dull his senses a bit and make this whole situation even minutely more tolerable. Unfortunately, due to his angelically high tolerance for alcohol, it didn't even make a dent in his sobriety.

Dean laughed a little. "Wow. Is that kismet or what, buddy? Well, he likes you, you like him, so... _dayenu_."

And then, Chastity was pulling him away. Dean caught him and held him back for a second, shoving a bunch of money in his hands. He began telling him something, but Castiel instantly tuned his words out as his gaze caught on someone he hadn't thought to see again, especially not now, not here of all places.

It was her-the freckled, bespectacled woman with the brown hair. Her hair was down for once. He thought that it looked somewhat out of place. She should have her hair up. It was unusual to see her with her hair down, he thought. Why did he think that? He had only seen her the once, he was certain of it. He had asked so many questions about the mysteriously familiar girl, to anyone he could get to listen. Angels, demons, monsters, humans; none of them had the slightest clue who he was talking about. He squinted a bit at her, pursing his lips in confusion as she stared straight back at him. Then, she did the most curious thing.

She grinned and winked at him, waving at him with the hand that wasn't holding her drink.

Castiel opened his mouth to say something, but was forced to switch his attention to Dean when he grabbed Castiel's shoulder, snapping his fingers in front of the angel's face, nearly making him go cross-eyed as he stared at Dean's hand before looking over at his face. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Don't make me push you," he threatened.

Castiel wordlessly took the money Dean had shoved at him and followed the blond woman, glancing back at where he had seen the freckled woman, only to find she was gone. His shoulders sank a little bit, and he focused back on the task Dean had assigned him with. His hand clenched around the paper bills, crumpling them. To say he didn't wish to go through with this task was a vast understatement. Millions of years old, and Castiel still could not fathom lying with someone...

* * *

Dean, having seen Castiel off, sat back down at the table they'd been occupying before. He twirled his half-empty bottle of beer between his fingers, relishing the coolness against his skin as he looked around at the other women in varying states of undress with an appreciative eye. One woman caught his eye, and he raised his drink to her, seeing her smile seductively and raise her own in return. He was just about to get up and make small talk with her and see if he couldn't get a deal much like Cas had when someone slid into the chair opposite him. He raised his eyebrows when he found a fully-clothed woman with glasses and freckles sitting across from him.

"Lemme guess," he said, pointing at her with the mouth of his beer bottle, careful not to spill any of his drink. "You don't work here."

She laughed.

"Good guess, Dean."

Dean bristled at the use of his name. He didn't know this woman.

"Christo," he muttered, relaxing only slightly when she didn't flinch at the word. He leaned forward, eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at the potentially dangerous woman sitting, relaxed, in the chair Castiel had been sitting in just moments before. "I don't know you. How do you know my name?"

The brunette woman merely rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, relax, little bean." He just about choked at her nickname for him. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to respect your elders?" His eyebrows just about shot up into his hairline at that. She looked five years younger than him, if anything. Then again, that just told him she wasn't human after all, even if she wasn't necessarily a demon. She suddenly leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, hands folded beneath her chin. "I need you to give Castiel a message for me, if you would be so kind."

Dean glared at her suspiciously. "And why exactly would I do that?"

"Because you care for the little bugger." She grinned at him. "It's not hard to, though. He's adorable, isn't he?"

Dean gave her a weird look. She was definitely a strange woman...thing...whatever the hell she was. It was true, though. If he didn't care, then he wouldn't be trying so hard to make Castiel's night a memorable experience. The awkward angel might as well be family with all he had done for Sam and himself in the relatively short time they'd known him. Dean paused for a moment, considering the woman across from him. When he searched her expression, he found she seemed earnest enough, and he decided that a message couldn't be so bad. If nothing else, it could keep her from taking her message straight to the angel herself, just in case she was dangerous. He pursed his lips, not exactly pleased with the situation.

"Fine. Gimme your damn message, then."

She smiled, then stretched her hand out across the table, palm up. He stared at it for a moment, not sure what she wanted, before she nodded pointedly at his hand. Hesitantly, he placed his hand in hers, and she turned his hand so it was palm-up, tracing a few odd-looking symbols into his hand with the pointer finger of her other hand, and he tried not to look surprised when the symbols she traced with her finger stained his palm with a deep brown ink-like substance, even though there was nothing on her fingertip. As soon as she finished tracing the symbol, she let his hand fall back down to the table, and she stood to leave, pausing for a moment as she shoved her hands in the pockets of her skirt.

"Just...let him know he's not crazy, all right?" She said with a half-smile. "Just because he can't find the info he's looking for...doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't exist."

Dean frowned and opened his mouth, confused and hell-bent on getting more answers, when he was interrupted by a scream coming from the direction Chastity and Cas had headed off in. He instinctively looked in that direction, alarmed, and turned back to the woman to tell her to stay put, only to find she was...gone. Vanished.

"Damnit," he muttered, "Everyone has got to stop doing that to me."

He rushed off in the direction the scream had come from, crossing his fingers and hoping Cas had nothing to do with it. He arrived only to find Chastity cursing Castiel out. She looked livid, and when she turned to storm off past him, she glared at him and flipped him the bird, cussing him out, too. Dean walked over to Castiel, who was looking a little dishevelled but none the worse for wear.

"The hell did you do?" he asked him, looking back at the pissed-off hooker stomping her way down the hall.

Castiel looked confused. "I don't know," he said. "I just looked her in the eyes and told her it wasn't her fault her father Gene ran off. It was because he hated his job at the post office."

Dean looked at Cas with a pitying look. "Oh, no, man."

Castiel blinked at him owlishly. "What?"

Dean exhaled through his nose, pinching the bridge of his nose as he explained, "This whole industry runs on absent fathers. It's... it's the _natural order_." He glanced back in the direction Chastity had gone, only to see her directing two bouncers their way. He clapped his hand on Castiel's shoulder. "We should go. Come on."

As soon as they were outside the building, Dean burst out laughing. He laughed so hard, he ended up clutching his side as they stumbled over to the Impala. Castiel gave him a confused look.

"What's so funny?"

Dean wiped tears of laughter from his eyes as he climbed in the driver's seat, Cas doing the same in the passenger's side.

"Oh, nothing." Dean grinned. "Whoo! It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard." He shook his head. "It's been more than a long time. _Years_." He glanced over at Cas, who sat unnaturally poised in the passenger seat, and his grin dropped as he remembered something.

"Cas...do you know some chick with brown hair and freckles? Wears glasses and likes to make cryptic statements?"

Castiel's head turned towards Dean so fast he swore the angel would've gotten whiplash, if angels were even capable of that. He stared at Dean intently, searching his face, as though making sure he had just said what he thought he'd said.

Dean gave him a weird look. "I take it that's a yes?"

Cas inhaled sharply. "She spoke to you?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

"Um...yeah," Dean raised his eyebrows. "What, she never spoke to _you?_"

"No," Castiel said gruffly, sounding almost miffed that she had spoken to Dean but never himself. "What did she say to you?"

Dean pursed his lips, considering lying for a moment as he wondered why the strange woman had chosen to speak to him and not Castiel, when Castiel clearly seemed to want to talk to her himself. After a moment of consideration, however, he decided to tell the truth, realizing that it might be important to his angel friend.

"Uh...she told me to tell you you're not crazy, for one…that just because you can't find the information you're looking for doesn't mean it doesn't exist," he said, pulling out the hand that the woman had written the strange symbols on and extending it to Castiel, palm up. "And she wrote this. Said it was a message for you."

Castiel grabbed Dean's hand, holding his palm steady as he read the symbols using the dim light from the street lamp outside. His brow furrowed.

"This is in Enochian. It reads 'caretaker'... and there's a question," he said. He looked up, meeting Dean's curious gaze. "But it doesn't make any sense. The question reads, 'what is purgatory'?"

Dean lifted an eyebrow. "Why doesn't it make sense? What's purgatory?"

Castiel let go of Dean's hand, and Dean let it drop back to his side as the angel ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"It doesn't make sense because purgatory is not what the Catholics claimed it was," he said, a touch of frustration leaking into his voice. "They claimed it was a place where souls that aren't completely right with God go to be purified while they wait their release into paradise. But purgatory is, in actuality, where the souls of monsters go when they die."

Both Dean and Castiel were silent for a long moment, Dean examining the palm of his hand with mild fascination as the symbols on his hand had disappeared without his noticing, while Castiel simply sat quietly, seeming deep in thought.

"Well, buddy," Dean said, "I think this is a mystery you'll just have to live through tonight in order to puzzle out." He clapped Castiel on the shoulder with a tight smile, not comfortable with the idea that the angel might not live through the night, but knowing they had to go through with their plan anyway. Putting the keys in the ignition, he listened as the Impala roared to life, sparing a glance at the angel as he shifted the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. The angel was silent for the first few minutes of their drive.

"Yes," Castiel finally said. "I do believe I must."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm so happy to see the positive feedback this story is getting! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and put this story on their alerts list. It's so good to know people are enjoying this story.

See you all next week! :)


	5. hold the line

**A Tale of Two Souls**

**chapter** **five:** _hold the line_

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.

* * *

Ellie stood with her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets, waiting for the entire fiasco to be over and done with. She had been stopped on earth for a supply run when she thought to pop in and see how Castiel was doing, only to find that he, Dean and Sam had the archangel Gabriel trapped in a ring of holy fire, and the brothers were trying to interrogate him about the apocalypse. Ellie covered a yawn with the back of her hand, glancing down at her watch to see what time it was in limbo. Her time-slowing spell would eventually wear off and she had to be back to greet a new soul in a few hours. So in earth time, with how fast her watch showed limbo time as going, she figured she had about forty minutes before she had to be back. She glanced up at the boys as they finished talking to Gabriel and Dean flipped the switch on the fire alarm, making the sprinklers go on to put out the flames around the archangel.

Well, his timing was just about perfect, she thought.

Ellie waited, relaxing so that she was leaned back against the wall by the warehouse door as the boys and the angel all filed out. She watched Castiel as he left, and she quickly looked away so he wouldn't feel her stare on him when he paused, looking in her direction with narrowed eyes. It was almost as though he could feel her presence, though she was certain that shouldn't be possible. Caretakers were impervious to detection by anyone outside of limbo unless they wished their presence to be known. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when Castiel finally stepped outside after the brothers, seeming to have accepted the idea that there was nothing there as he'd thought there was.

Ellie waited until she heard the sound of the Impala starting up and pulling away before she stepped forward, dropping the veil on her presence as she approached the archangel just as the last of the flames around him were snuffed out.

"Hello, Gabriel."

The angel in question raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed by her appearance.

"I'd say hi back, but daddy always said not to talk to strangers," he snarked in response.

Ellie laughed, stepping close enough to pat Gabriel's cheek condescendingly. His reaction was immediate as he levelled a deadly glare at her.

"You're cute, jellybean. Let's talk business though. Name's Ellie," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. He made no move to accept it, instead studying her intently.

"Pleasure, I'm sure," he said sarcastically. "What the hell are you? You're not human, but you're not like anything else I've ever seen, either."

Ellie let her hand drop back to her side, shrugging at his snub of her seldom-used manners. The only time she really acted polite was when she had guests in her 'home', and then it was because they were dead and she felt for them. She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her messy bun behind her ear out of nervous habit. She didn't make a habit to converse with non-humans often, mostly because they had a thing for detecting her uniqueness, and she was physically unable to tell people about limbo. All caretakers were. That was why she'd left Castiel that cryptic note for him to decipher. She couldn't guide him any closer than that without invoking the spell in her being that guarded the secret.

"Let's just say I'm nothing you've ever seen before and leave it at that," she said, awkwardly shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She crossed her arms over her chest, standing up straighter to try and make herself look more impressive. "I have a proposition for you."

Gabriel gave her a look that said 'you must be joking'. "Really? And what gives you the idea that I'd want to have anything to do with you and your proposition?"

"Because," Ellie waved a hand at the warehouse around them, "I'd say from what I've seen that you're a big fan of self-preservation. And I," she said, gesturing to herself, "happen to have an in when it comes to making sure people that die don't _stay_ that way."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Prove it."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Who do you think brought Castiel back from the dead? God doesn't exactly like to do the heavy lifting these days," she said, lowering the barrier that she kept up around her soul to let the ancient magic that she was filled with seep through. She had to suppress a smug smirk when she saw the poorly-masked surprise on Gabriel's face as he felt it. There was a moment of silence, before Gabriel inhaled sharply.

"Alright. What are your terms?"

"You look out for Castiel and the Winchesters, and you step in if they get in over their heads."

Gabriel looked skeptical, seeming to weigh the pros and cons in his head. He sighed.

"Fine," he bit out tersely, "but only as a last resort. And don't expect me to act all buddy-buddy with them."

Ellie laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it." She held her hand out. "Shake on it."

He grabbed her hand without hesitation, shaking it firmly once before letting go. He fixed her with a dirty look.

"Don't think this means I'm not suspicious of you. If I find out you're not as powerful as you say you are, the deal's off."

Ellie grinned and winked at him. "Wouldn't have it any other way, jellybean."

With that, she opened the interdimensional rift around herself to head back to her 'home', not noticing the pair of blue eyes that watched her departure from the shadowy corner of the warehouse.

Castiel was sitting on a park bench in his favorite heaven, the autistic man's Tuesday afternoon. He needed some time to think; time away from everything else. Having heard from the Winchesters after they managed to talk with Joshua that God wanted nothing to do with their hardships, he became distraught. Where was the caring Father that he remembered? Had it all just been an image he had projected onto God, seeing what he wanted to see, rather than what was really there? Castiel found himself burying his face in his hands, overcome with a feeling he identified as hopelessness. Because, he realized, it was hopeless. God was still out there, but he would not be persuaded to lift a pinky to help them. They were doomed to endure the apocalypse at Michael and Lucifer's hands, all because of the selfishness of his siblings and their disdain towards humankind. God's proclaimed favorites would be half-wiped from the earth, and that's if they were lucky. Cas felt a heavy sigh escape him.

Castiel suddenly noticed an increasingly familiar presence next to him on the bench, and he wearily raised his head, remaining slouched so that his elbows rested on his knees. He didn't turn to look at the one encroaching on his private thinking spot as he spoke.

"I am beginning to think there's no place you can't enter at will."

She remained uncharacteristically stoic. He had expected her to laugh, or even shoot back with a snappy retort. From the strange feeling of familiarity that he had felt towards her, he had felt as though she must surely be the sort of person who was very light-hearted and tried hard to make others smile. Thus, after formally meeting her for the first time in his recollection, he was surprised to find her so calm and quiet. He turned his head to look at her finally, slightly unnerved by her continued silence. He was greeted by an odd expression on her face that he had difficulty deciphering. It looked almost...apologetic? She opened her mouth as though to speak, then hesitated, and seemed to search for the right words before she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry this is how we meet for the first time," she said. "Well...first time, for a second time."

She gave a nervous-sounding laugh, then mumbled something that sounded like, "Gosh, could I be any more lame..." She cleared her throat loudly after that and tried again.

"Look... I guess what I'm saying is... I know you think of me as just some random, really weird stranger that has a nasty habit of popping up at the worst times, but... if you need someone to talk to, about the whole God issue or anything, then... I'm here if you want to talk." She scratched the back of her neck, looking away from Castiel so that he couldn't see the faint blush that colored her cheeks. She had offered support to other people-and souls-before Castiel, but it just seemed different this time. Maybe it was because she felt oddly attached to the trenchcoat-clad angel ever since they had formed their odd friendship in limbo. She wasn't sure, but she had an idea of what might be happening here. It had been a long time since she had felt something similar to what she felt for Castiel, however, so she pushed the notion to the deepest recess of her mind and refused to examine it any further.

When she dared look back at the unkempt angel, he was staring at her very intently, as though trying to decipher her motives behind such an offer. It made her feel slightly offended, but she reminded herself that it was because he didn't remember their time together, which placated her somewhat.

"I heard what you said to Gabriel at the warehouse," he finally said quietly. "All of it."

Ellie inhaled sharply. He wasn't supposed to have heard any of that. Knowing that she brought him back, that she was working behind the scenes to keep him and the Winchesters safe...none of it. She swore under her breath, turning away from Castiel and running a hand down her face in exasperation before letting it fall back to her lap. What was she supposed to tell him? I'm sorry, it's because when you died I was assigned to look after your soul while your fate was being decided and after we became best buds they told me you were meant to live again so I raised you from the dead? Not only would that sound really weird, seeing as Castiel didn't remember anything of his time in limbo, it was also enough information that it would also invoke the spell that kept her from speaking of limbo. In other words, it was a moot point. Ellie let out a sigh and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I can't..." She was ashamed when her voice cracked slightly, and she took a deep breath before trying again. "I can't tell you whatever it is you want to hear. I physically can't." She turned a pleading gaze on Castiel, hoping he would understand. He seemed to deliberate, weighing the truth of her words, before giving the slightest of sighs.

"I will take your word for it. For now," he said begrudgingly. "May I ask, though...why you would go so far to ensure the safety of myself and my friends?"

Ellie chewed her lip, trying to find the words that would allow her to give him an answer without invoking the spell.

"We've...met before," she said haltingly, picking her words carefully and not giving away time or place. "And when we...met, we spent enough time together that...I would call you my friend." She smiled wanly. "Unfortunately a certain...event caused your memory of that time to be wiped." She grinned then, and tapped his forehead with her finger. "From how you look at me as though I'm familiar, though, I'd say there's a part of you that knows we met before."

Castiel nodded. It made sense, in a way. That sense of déjà vu he kept getting from her supported what she was saying. But...it was still a puzzle for him.

"Can I not ask you anything of where we met? Or when?" He asked, disappointed at the lack of information.

Ellie shook her head and made a motion like she was zipping her lips shut, causing Castiel to sigh. Of course.

Ellie gave a sympathetic smile when the angel looked put out by her reply. She reached over and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Sorry, chickpea," she said. "It's just something that you'll have to work out for yourself."

Castiel's eyebrows shot up, and he turned to look at her, only to find that she was gone, the interdimensional rift closing behind her. He frowned.

"Chickpea?" he muttered. "I am an angel, not a legume."

Castiel became silent. Ellie's appearance had still left him with all the same questions he'd had before. He folded his hands in his lap and stared at them as he thought. She was incapable of telling him how or when they had met-which meant that there must be either a spell or a curse preventing her from doing so. And if there was, then the how and when was a Very Big Deal, indeed. It looked like Castiel was looking to uncover bigger secrets than he had imagined.

But there was still the matter of the impending apocalypse at hand. And now that he knew God had no intention of helping...well, he had to try and find a way to help the Winchesters himself.

It looked like his search for answers would once again be taking the backburner.

* * *

**A/N:** A big thank you again to all of you who reviewed, followed, and/or favorited! So nice to see people reading and liking this story. And because you're all amazing, have a Saturday update rather than the usual Sunday. ;)


	6. everything goes dark

**A Tale of Two Souls**

**chapter six:** _everything goes dark_

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue.

* * *

Castiel stood rigid as he watched Dean charge into the midst of the impending conflict between Michael and Lucifer. He couldn't help but feel like they were all charging to their inevitable deaths. Both Michael and Lucifer were the most powerful of archangels, and he just didn't see any way that they could possibly win. But Dean was his friend, and so was Sam. And if Dean thought there was even the tiniest percent chance that he could get through to Sam, then so be it; Castiel would give his life to see this through. After all, when he thought about it, technically Castiel wasn't supposed to be alive as it was. Committing his life to what he felt was a worthy cause just made sense to him. And the Winchesters-his friends-were worth the risk. He had faith in them, he thought, and his nerves calmed a bit as he clenched his hand around the bottle of holy oil in his hand, seeing his cue as he stuck the flaming rag in and appeared at Dean's side.

"Hey, ass-butt!" He said, spitting out the first insult that came to mind as he threw the bottle at Michael as the holy oil burst into flames, the bottle crashing on impact and setting the archangel alight, banishing him temporarily. Michael gave an unearthly shriek as he vanished.

Dean gave him an unimpressed look. "_Ass-butt?_"

Castiel gave Dean a flat look. "He'll be back-and upset-but you got your five minutes." He looked over at Lucifer, realizing the archangel was looking at him with an expression that spoke of silent fury.

"Castiel," he said calmly. "Did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?"

"Uh..." Castiel hesitated. As an angel, it was engrained in his being to tell the truth. But he realized at that moment, that he feared Lucifer's wrath. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live. He had things yet to do; mysteries he hadn't uncovered. An image of Ellie appeared in his mind for the briefest moment before it was gone. Castiel frowned. He wanted to _live_, damnit. And what had Dean said? _When we want something really bad... we lie._

"...No."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed at the blatant lie.

"Nobody dicks with Michael but me."

Castiel felt a brief moment of unbearable pain, and then-nothing.

* * *

Everything was dark. Castiel was unsure of where he was. It felt as though he were drifting in a sea of black. Where was he? He had a deep-seated feeling of unease, as though he should not be here. As though it were unnatural for him to be here. Yet he felt like he had been here before. Why did he feel that way? He wasn't even sure where he was. Did he even still have a body? He tried to feel it, and he felt a touch of panic as he realized he couldn't. He should be able to—

_Oh._ There it was. He had a body still, after all.

As Castiel came back to himself, he became aware of a weight on his chest, and the sound of someone muttering words in a language he had never heard before. The weight of them slammed into him with sudden force, and he was surprised at the raw magic he felt behind them. He realized belatedly that the magic was being directed at _him_, as he felt tears that he had only just noticed in his being mending themselves. He gasped loudly, feeling starved for air, and his eyes flew open as he flailed his arms, feeling suddenly like the magic that was piecing him back together was burning him in order to fuse the pieces of him into a whole. The burning stopped just as suddenly as it had started, though, and he collapsed limply back into what he realized was a rather comfortable couch, eyes darting about as he took in his surroundings. They rested on one thing in particular.

"Ellie," he said, his voice sounding more raspy and hoarse than usual.

Ellie gave him a small, tired smile, which Castiel felt himself return. "Hey, you."

Castiel attempted to sit up, but Ellie squawked in protest and shoved him back down, pinning him with a surprising amount of strength for someone of such a slim build.

"No," she said.

"But-"

"_No._" When she was satisfied that he wouldn't try to get up again, she sighed heavily and removed her hand from his chest, perching on the edge of the couch next to him. "Lucifer damn near destroyed your soul as well as your body just now. I had to save you from becoming shredded angel paper, which would've made you lost to any hope of life after death, heavenly or otherwise."

Castiel was silent for a moment before looking her in the eye.

"Thank you, Ellie," he said earnestly, trying to convey his thanks through a look.

She gave him a half-hearted glare. "Next time you decide to help the Winchesters ice some big baddie, just try not to _antagonize _them when they have the upper hand." Her gaze softened slightly. "I might not always be around to save you, you know."

There was a scraping noise from across the room, and Castiel's gaze flew to the source of it, only for him to be baffled at what he saw.

"Gabriel?" he asked, face twisting in confusion.

Gabriel gave him a deadpan look. "Don't look so happy to see me, little bro. Really, I'm flattered," he said sarcastically, before turning to Ellie. "Look, it's been great, I enjoy our time together, but now that you've got your little baby bird back, this guy," he said, pointing to himself, "is gonna flow the coop. I'm gonna go check out what's going on down at home base, so...don't wait up." He gave a tight smile and wiggled his fingers at the two of them. "Toodles!"

Ellie and Castiel looked over from the spot Gabriel disappeared from, meeting each other's gaze. Ellie gave a tentative smile, and was pleased to see the corners of Castiel's mouth twitch upwards slightly in response.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's nice to-"

They both started at the same time, then stopped when they realized the other had something to say.

"Sorry," they both blurted out. Ellie burst out laughing, and Castiel chuckled softly along with her, glad to see her so happy when he remembered how stand-offish she had been during the time he couldn't remember her. When her laughter quieted, he grabbed her hand in order to get her attention. He realized belatedly that she may have misinterpreted the intention behind his action when her cheeks turned a rosy pink, making her freckles stand out in contrast.

"Ellie," he said seriously. "I'm sorry I couldn't remember you before." His brow furrowed. "You've been looking out for me all this time...even though I didn't remember you. Why would you do that?" he asked, his eyes searching her face for an answer.

Ellie chuckled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Because you're my friend, Castiel. Even if you didn't remember that you were my friend, you were still the same Castiel I befriended before." She smirked. "Besides, someone's gotta look out for you when you have such a knack for getting yourself into trouble."

Castiel frowned. "I do not!"

"Do too, times infinity!" she sang and leapt up from the couch, out of his reach before he could take a swipe at her and make her take it back.

"I still do not understand how that counts as an automatic win in a match of wits," he called as she disappeared around the corner into the kitchen.

"You don't have to understand it for it to count!" Her voice floated back. Castiel gave a derisive snort. "I heard that!"

"Heard what?" Castiel said, trying to sound innocent and failing miserably.

Ellie poked her head back around the corner, giving him a teasing smile.

"You, Mr. Angelpants, are the most _terrible _liar I have ever met."

Castiel's eyebrows shot up. "Ah. So I am the best at something after all."

She laughed. "Only you would consider being the worst at something as being the best at it!" She smiled, and Castiel felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation spread through him as he realized how truly happy her smile was. It wasn't a bad feeling, though. In fact, it was quite the opposite. "Do you want me to make you some tea?" she asked kindly.

The angel nodded, finally feeling well enough to prop himself up into a sitting position on the couch. "Yes, please." He tilted his head slightly in thought. "What kind was it you made last time? I rather liked it, as I recall."

Ellie perked up a bit. "Oh, the peppermint one? I think I still have a tin of it around here..." She disappeared back around the corner, and he could hear her shuffling around the items in her cupboard. As Castiel sat there with his thoughts, listening to Ellie moving about in the other room, he was struck with an odd feeling.

It felt, he realized, rather like he was returning home.

And he held the faintest hope that, were he not able to return to life...that this might be where he could stay.

* * *

The next few days-or the limbo equivalent of days-were comfortable for Ellie and Castiel. The woman and the angel would often sit side by side on the living room couch, reading books and drinking peppermint tea. It became like a ritual for them. They didn't need to talk; they had reached a point in their friendship where they no longer needed to fill the silence in order to enjoy one another's presence. While Ellie read a lot of current novels and magazines in an effort to keep up with the times, she had convinced Castiel to start reading some of the more classic literary works. He had a tendency to overanalyze the plots and themes of the novels he read, and would give Ellie his opinions on them after he read; sometimes she had to make a hearty effort not to laugh at the things he came up with. It was enjoyable, though. Peaceful, even.

Unfortunately, though, peaceful times have a tendency not to last.

It was one such time when Ellie and Castiel were reading side by side when it happened.

Castiel was deeply engrossed in the works of John Steinbeck when he was jerked back to the present by the sound of a book clattering to the floor. He turned to Ellie, confused, only to see her hands still poised as though they were holding the book that had fallen from them. Her eyes were glazed over, and she had a far-away look on her face, which soon twisted into one of anguish.

"No," she breathed.

"Ellie?" Castiel asked, somewhat alarmed. He set his book down, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't seem to notice at all. He shook her shoulder lightly. "Ellie, is everything alright?"

Ellie inhaled sharply, coming out of her daze as she looked around, realizing where she was. When her eyes landed on Castiel's hand on her shoulder, he moved to take it away, but she grabbed it tightly, holding it in place. Her eyes glistened with moisture, and he realized she was on the verge of tears.

"Ellie?" he asked softly. "What's wrong?"

Ellie blinked rapidly, trying to blink back the tears. A couple escaped though, streaking down her cheeks, and she swiped at them quickly, turning her face away from Castiel to try and hide the fact that she was crying, though she knew the angel was too observant not to notice. She took a shaky breath, trying to keep her voice from quaking as she spoke.

"I..." Her voice broke, and she stopped, taking another breath before starting again. "I'm sorry, Castiel. I should be happy for you..." She wiped her face again and turned back to him, meeting his concerned gaze. "I've been instructed to bring you back to life again."

Castiel wasn't sure how to react. On the one hand, he was glad that he would be able to live again, that he could spend time with his friends the Winchesters, helping them in their supernatural struggles. But on the other hand...

"I'm going to forget you again, aren't I."

There was a beat of silence. They both knew it was a statement of fact, not a question. Ellie tugged Castiel's hand from her shoulder and held it in her lap between both of her hands, staring at it for a moment before speaking.

"Yes," she said softly, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. It was a comforting gesture, but in light of the news he had just received, it only succeeded in making him feel sad. "I'm sorry. It's required."

Castiel tried to smile for her, not wanting to see her so sad, but it felt wrong, and he was fairly certain he looked anything but happy. He settled for squeezing her hand as she had his only moments before.

"I understand," he said, then awkwardly added, "I will...miss your company."

Ellie gave a quiet chuckle.

"Thanks, Castiel," she muttered. "But you can't miss what you never knew in the first place."

* * *

Castiel exited the garrison in heaven, having just finished meeting with a number of his brothers and sisters who shared his disapproval of what Raphael stood for. Castiel felt that with his resurrection at God's hands (for after all, who else could have possibly raised him from the dead twice now?), he should be doing something useful with his new lease on life. And what, he thought, could be a more righteous use of his life than ridding heaven of the blasphemous angels that would have God's favored creatures, the humans, eradicated so that they no longer had to uphold their assigned heavenly duties? Castiel felt self-assured that he was doing the right thing as he exited his garrison, flying to his usual thinking place and sitting down on the bench there as he mulled over the tactics he would be taking against Raphael and his followers.

A sudden noise next to him announced the arrival of an unexpected guest.

Castiel turned his head to see a familiar freckled, bespectacled face.

"Hello, Ellie."

Ellie inhaled sharply, looking at him expectantly for a moment, searching his face, but failing to find whatever it was she was looking for. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she leaned back against the bench, stretching her arms out along the length of it. Castiel found himself staring at the arm that stretched out along the back of the bench behind him, wondering why it didn't feel uncomfortable for her to do so. Usually he felt uncomfortable at the idea of touching others in a way that might be considered intimate, but what Ellie was doing felt familiar and-dare he think it-normal. It was as though he knew to expect such behavior from her. It unsettled himself that he felt as though he knew her mannerisms when he didn't remember ever even meeting her prior to when she had appeared to him in that field during his search for God less than a year prior.

"How're you holding up, Castiel? Since you came back to life again?" she asked, but she kept her gaze fixed on the sky rather than him.

Castiel frowned, clasping his hands together in his lap.

"Why are you here, Ellie?" he asked, brow furrowing as he stared at her, despite the fact that she refused to meet his eyes. "I understand that according to you, we were friends before, but I have no recollection of that." He studied her for a moment, considering whether he should say what he was about to or not. Exhaling through his nose, he made up his mind. This celestial war was going to leave him with several enemies and few trustworthy allies, and he couldn't afford to have someone around whose history he was unsure of.

"I'm sorry, Ellie. But until I figure out who and what you are...I'm afraid I can't afford to trust you."

To the untrained eye, it would appear as though Ellie was unphased by the angel's statement, but Castiel could see the slight tightening of her jaw and the moisture that started to gather in her eyes as she continued to stare resolutely at the sky. There was a stretched-out moment of silence in which Ellie swallowed loudly before speaking.

"...I see," she said in a forced casual tone. "Then in that case...I hope you figure it out quickly."

And with that, an interdimensional rift opened around her, and she was gone.

Castiel had an odd sense of self-consciousness; he was aware that he had just done something hurtful, and wished he hadn't. He mentally cursed, clenching his hands into fists as he mulled over what he'd just done. Despite that he couldn't remember how the bond between Ellie and himself had been established, he could still feel it as clear as day. He stood abruptly, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his trench coat, and was about to fly back to the garrison to continue planning attack strategies against Raphael when the feel of crumpled paper in the bottom of his left coat pocket made him pause. He drew the paper out, examining it with a thoughtful look.

"'What is purgatory?'" he read at a mumble. He remembered Dean scrawling the note out after the deciphered message had vanished from his hand, despite Castiel's insistence that there was no chance he would forget what it had said. He stood there, contemplating the mystery that was Ellie, and how he knew her, though his thoughts soon turned to the heavenly war and how he could possibly hope to defeat Raphael.

And then it struck him.

"Purgatory," he breathed. All of those souls...they would be the perfect way for him to destroy Raphael and his army.

Castiel spread his wings to fly off. He had some research to do.

* * *

**A/N:** Gosh, you guys make me feel all warm and fuzzy with your follows and your reviews and your favorites... Here's to all you readers! I don't really like what happens with Cas in season six so writing it is a little like pulling teeth, but I will be making some minor changes and there will be some history on Ellie in a couple chapters' time.

Thanks for reading! See you next week! :D


	7. not your concern

**A Tale of Two Souls**

**chapter** **seven: **_not your concern_

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.

* * *

Ellie had taken to watching over Castiel in secret ever since he had made it clear he didn't want her company. She wasn't quite sure why she did it; it hurt a little every time she went to see him, knowing that he had no desire for her company, in sharp contrast to how she craved the friendship she had known with him in limbo. But every time, she found herself back there, watching over the angel she had grown so attached to over what was considered, for the angel and the caretaker, a short period of time.

From what Ellie saw of Castiel's actions, however, she soon began to fear that he was getting in too deep with this heavenly war. The things she found him researching... she feared it could only possibly lead to his own destruction.

And despite the fact that dying would put him back in her care once again, she could not imagine having to wipe Castiel's memory of her once again if he were to be brought back to life, as the pattern seemed to go.

Ellie gnawed on her bottom lip, contemplating her next action. She knew that she couldn't let Castiel continue down this destructive path knowing that she could've done something to avert him from it, but she also knew that Castiel didn't trust her right now, and he would never let her sway him from his path if she approached him about it directly. In other words, she needed someone else to try and convince him he was going about things the wrong way. And who did she know that Castiel trusted?

Dean and Sam Winchester.

Ellie snapped her fingers in an _'aha'_ moment and smiled, opening up a rift that would take her to where she suspected the two might be.

Hopefully the Winchesters would take her words into account without needing too much convincing that her intentions were good...

"Damn shapeshifters. _Ugh,_" Dean said, picking a piece of goopy flesh off his shirt with a look of disgust as Sam unlocked the door to their hotel room and they both walked in. He almost bumped into his brother's back when he suddenly stopped. "Dude, what's wrong?" he asked, stepping around his brother to survey the room, his eyes instantly landing on the one thing out of place.

"Hello again, little bean," Ellie said cheekily, looking for all the world at home as she sat cross-legged on his bed. _His bed._ Damnit, he had claimed that bed. She had no right to steal it! "How's tricks?"

Sam gave Dean an 'oh-really' look. "You know this girl, Dean?"

Dean frowned. "I met her once, a few months back," he said. "She knows Cas somehow, not that she ever really explained it. She just likes being cryptic as hell, don't you, sweetheart?" He smiled tightly, the sarcasm apparent.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Just because I needed you to give him a message for me doesn't mean you should get all butt-hurt about it. _Yeesh._" She smiled at Sam. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Ellie," she said, standing up and going to offer him her hand to shake, only for Dean to push Sam behind him and brandish the demon-killing knife at her. "_Ouch._ I'm hurt, Dean," she said sarcastically, grabbing the knife from him and stabbing it in her arm, showing him when she pulled it back out that there was no damage, as the split skin sealed back over without hesitation. She managed to hide her flinch of pain except for the tightening in her jaw, as the magic imbedded in the blade seared her soul despite the fact that she was no demon. "Happy?" she asked, handing the knife back to him by the hilt. Dean gave her an unimpressed look in response.

"Um...great to see you two get along so well," Sam said, slightly unsure about what the hell was going on, "but why are you here? I mean, if you're an acquaintance of Castiel, that's great and all, but we hardly see him lately. He's pretty busy these days what with the heavenly war, if you didn't get the memo."

Ellie sighed, running a hand over her face.

"I know," she said, giving both brothers a pointed look. "Believe me, I know. I've been checking in on Castiel regularly just to make sure he's doing okay, even though the damn angel decided he couldn't trust me due to the fact that he doesn't remember where he knows me from...and this damn war of his is keeping him from making an effort to look into it any further," she griped, having started pacing back and forth in front of the bed while she talked without even realizing it. She stopped abruptly and whirled around to fix the brothers with a stern look.

"You have to talk to him," she said. "The things that he's been doing lately..." She swallowed harshly. "I'm afraid he's gonna get himself in some pretty deep shit real soon if he doesn't back off."

"Whoa, hold on there, partner," Dean said, holding his hands up. "...Why us? From what it sounds like, there's a lot bigger chance that you'll run into him than there is that we will." He frowned at her. "Besides, you're gonna have to give us a little more information than that if you expect us to help you."

Ellie put a hand over her mouth and stared at the floor in contemplation. After a moment, she removed her hand, opening her mouth to speak, but hesitated.

"I... wish I could tell you everything," she said, feeling around with her magic for a moment to make sure there was no one spying on them while they spoke. Satisfied, she flopped back down on the bed she'd been sitting on earlier, ignoring Dean's indignant protest. "Get comfy, boys. This might take a minute."

Dean and Sam shared a look, before both perching on the edge of Sam's bed, discreetly fingering their respective weapons just in case the young woman turned out to be more dangerous than she seemed.

Ellie sat up and looked at each of the brothers in turn. "Castiel has been looking into using purgatory souls as a weapon to destroy Raphael and his followers."

Dean raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, call me crazy, but I just don't see what the problem is here," he said, leaning forward on his elbows. "In case you didn't know, Raphael is a giant d-bag who wants to spring Lucifer and start the apocalypse, destroying a good chunk of humankind in the process, so if Cas is working on a way to smite that son of a bitch...I'm all for it."

Ellie glared at him coldly in response. "No, Dean. I don't think you understand," she said, leaning forward in a threatening manner, ignoring the fact that the brothers now gripped their weapons outright. "Purgatory is not the sunshine-and-daisies place that the Catholics described it as. It is raw, and it is violent. You know all those monsters you two hunt down?" She waited for them to nod before continuing. "That's where the souls of those things go when you kill them." She ignored the look of surprise on Sam's face; according to the look on Dean's face, Castiel must have told him as much when he'd delivered the message she'd sent to him. Neither of them looked overly concerned at this revelation, though.

"You don't get it, do you?" she asked, glancing between the two with a tired expression. "In order to harness the power of those souls, he's going to need to possess them." They still didn't look alarmed. "All of those monsters-some of them that have literally been here since the dawn of time-are going to be _inside Castiel_. Do you realize the damage they could do if they managed to come back to life?" she hissed.

Dean exchanged a look with his brother, then turned back to Ellie.

"Look...no offense, sister," he said with a tight smile, "but Castiel is the one I trust. Not you." He rubbed the back of his neck, not certain how this was going to go, and not really wanting to have a raging female who-knows-what-she-was going on the offensive when they weren't sure what could possibly kill her. The demon-killing knife didn't do a thing, that much was for sure. "Now, I don't know about you, but...Sam and I have some monsters to kill, so...off you go," he said, making a shooing motion. He hoped she didn't see through his false bravado. He just wanted this potentially dangerous woman to leave them alone. He didn't know how she was connected to their angel friend, but he couldn't handle having yet another mystery he needed to solve when he still had to watch out for Sam and make sure his newly-restored soul stayed in place, on top of making sure their grandfather didn't do something incredibly stupid while trying to bring their mother back to life.

Ellie made a strangled noise of frustration in the back of her throat.

"Dean Winchester, you are so..._impossible!_" she yelled, standing up and balling her fists. Immediately, both boys had their guns drawn and trained on her. She stood for a moment, breathing heavily in anger, before half-turning away from them, staring pointedly at the hotel wall rather than the two of them. "You two..." she ground out, "I hope you don't come to regret ignoring my warning."

With that, Ellie opened a dimensional rift around her, disappearing from their sight. She never noticed the camera phone that Dean had discreetly flipped open and taken her picture with.

Dean stared at the slightly blurry picture for a moment before glancing sidelong at Sam.

"Bobby?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Bobby."

* * *

Dean flipped open his cell phone before it had even finished the first ring.

"Tell me what you got, Bobby," he said wearily, desperate for some goddamn answers, for once. Everything that was happening lately was starting to be too much for him. Bobby's reply caused his shoulders to slump with relief.

_"Well, I got something, alright,"_ Bobby's voice said through the speaker of the phone. Dean pressed the phone closer to his ear as he flopped back to lie on the bed, shoving the lore book he had been reading to the side so he wouldn't bend the pages. _"I found a girl that matches your girl to a tee. Elizabeth 'Ellie' Harken, born in August 1910. She was one of them flapper girls in the twenties before she died, May 1929. Seems like before she died she had a whole lotta shit go down and all her friends and family ended up abandoning her, so I'm not surprised by the way she went out."_

"Oh?" Dean said, his interest piqued. He sat up on the bed, taking out a notepad and pen so he could write down the important details.

"Go on, Bobby. I'm listening."

And unknown to both of them, so was Castiel.

* * *

**A/N:** You people with all your follows and favorites! You're making me blush. I have noticed, though, that there are not as many people reviewing as there are people following. I would love to hear all your thoughts on the stories - comments, critique, etcetera. Please send a review my way and let me know what you think so far. :)

Also, my apologies; this chapter is a couple hundred words shy of my usual goal. Next week's chapter is longer than any other one yet by a thousand words, though, so there's that, at least... ;) See y'all next week!


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